How to Thrive in Difficult Times

What We Did

INCORPORATING INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING INTO THE CURRICULUM

INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

Increases engagement levels in high quality learning opportunities
Ensures our curriculum is enriched
Offers learning across four contexts
Embeds DYW with a focus on promoting and developing the meta skills 4.0
Works well as a model for Blended Learning.

RATIONALE

Curriculum for Excellence in the Recovery Phase

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-curriculum-for-excellence-in-the-recovery-phase/

Initial focus for learning is on Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and Numeracy

Use of Refreshed Narrative to support curriculum rationale https://scotlandscurriculum.scot/

ONE APPROACH TO INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

HOW DO WE THRIVE IN DIFFICULT TIMES?

Stage 1

Cross-curricular theme focus for 6-8 weeks: ‘Our Healthy World’

The staff collaboratively decide the most relevant class contexts across the whole school, based on our unique setting, by looking at the learning experiences in line with the principles of curriculum design.

Class Context Examples

P2: The Senses

P4: Healthy Me, Happy Me

P6/7: Healthy Choices

Stage 2

Staff conduct a knowledge harvest with their pupils to ascertain what they know and what they would like to know about the context.

From this, 3-4 big questions are co created.

P5 Big Questions Example for Healthy Me Context

What effects do different food groups have on my body?
What happens to my body when I exercise?
What can I do to help others with their mental health?
How are my mental, physical and food health linked?
What skills do we need to thrive in difficult times? (IDL Question)

Stage 3

Based on the knowledge harvest, staff then package the learning through identifying relevant experiences and outcomes from their allocated year group Es & Os overview.

Stage 4

Staff within a Level/Department share their Big Questions with each other to identify common threads to shape their IDL Big Question and associated rich tasks.

Relevant Es & Os are identified.

Second Level Example of Common Threads & Rich Tasks

Common Thread 1: Pupils in each class will have studied significant events in history (flexible) to discuss and understand the impact that these have had on society through exploring the aftermath, e.g. Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak in 1963.

HWB 2-07a, SOC 2-01a & SOC 2-04a

Rich Task 1: What do you think will be the aftermath of COVID-19? What might change in society as a result of the pandemic? This might be in terms of lifestyle choices, environmental issues etc.

Common Thread 2: Pupils in each class will have studied the importance of maintaining positive mental, physical and food health. HWB 2-17a & HWB 2-45a

Rich Task 2: What are the key wellbeing messages that you would give as advice to someone in the future, of a similar age, who faces a lockdown situation for an unknown period of time. What qualities really matter?

Stage 5

Staff plan the cross-curricular learning with a clear focus on the knowledge, understanding and skills that need to be taught/developed in order to complete a rich task successfully.

Staff plan against the four contexts to show the connections between the curriculum subjects/areas, IDL, personal achievement and life and ethos of the school as a community.

P4 Contexts Planning Template

First Level Plans

Learning from Cross-Curricular Linked to Second Level Big Questions

Pupils in each class will have studied significant events in history (flexible) to discuss and understand the impact that these have had on society through exploring the aftermath.
Pupils in each class will have studied the importance of maintaining positive mental, physical and food health.

IDL Component

What do you think will be the aftermath of COVID-19? What might change in society as a result of the pandemic? This might be in terms of lifestyle choices, environmental issues etc.

What are the key wellbeing messages that you would give as advice to someone in the future, of a similar age, who faces a lockdown situation for an unknown period of time. What qualities really matter?

*pupils to show their thinking in terms of say, write, make, do - personalisation and choice*

Second Level Plans

Stage 6

Rich tasks are challenging, engaging, creative, open ended and allow for personalisation and choice in terms of pupils being able to show their learning in their preferred way.

Stage 7

Cross-curricular learning is delivered and rich tasks are integrated at appropriate points through the 8 week block.

Stage 8

Feedback is given to pupils throughout the whole process and learning is shared and celebrated appropriately across the school to let everyone see each other’s learning.

Pupils create a virtual exhibition to share with appropriate audiences for different purposes.

Feedback

parents

pupils

What have you enjoyed most this week:

"Making the video for the rich task because it was fun making it. "

"Amazing effort with your video, C! So amazing! " (class teacher)

"This is an amazing video C! It really shows your personality and some of the key messages during lockdown!" (class teacher)

staff

Anna completed a lovely piece of artwork that conveyed her thoughts, emotions and reflections about lock-down so far. She used perspective drawing to create a ‘tunnel’ scene, and described this as a difficult road that will eventually end. At the end of the tunnel is a happy, sunny scene. She wrote Hope and Love on the sides of the tunnel. A really great reflective piece of artwork, that she will use to help her with a creative writing task tomorrow.

Engagement

"Just wanted to show what I have been up to for ethos block . I went over to school this morning to put a ribbon on fence . It was lovely to see and so colourful. I have been growing seeds already and will continue to and bring into school when we return . My grandma also got me my own copy of fantastic mr fox that we are reading in class as a present so I have made her a thank you."

EJP

Page updated

Report abuse